A cap member for a high-pressure gas container

ABSTRACT

A cap member for a high-pressure gas container which protects the valve member attached to the gas head of the container is produced by squeezing steel plate and not by using wrought iron casting, therefore its production process becomes simple and its production cost becomes cheap. Said cap member comprises a cylindrical body, a top opening of a regular polygonal brim and a bottom opening of a round brim, a female screw on the inside of the lower part of said body, and two confronting side openings and two confronting slots on said body. When the gas container is employed, said cap member need not be dismantled from the head of the gas container. Therefore, said cap member is a protecting part for the valve member of the gas container.

United States Patent Kitsuda 5] Mar. 14, 1972 [54] A CAP MEMBER FOR A HIGH- PRESSURE GAS CONTAINER [72] Inventor: Minoru Kitsuda, No. 115 Shinshuku,

Hiratsuka, Japan [22] Filed: Apr.10, 1970 [21] Appl. No.2 27,263

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 68,377 7/1951 Netherlands ..220/85 P Primary Examiner-Lloyd L. King Attorney-Michael S. Striker [57] ABSTRACT A cap member for a high-pressure gas container which protects the valve member attached to the gas head of the container is produced by squeezing steel plate and not by using wrought iron casting, therefore its production process becomes simple and its production cost becomes cheap. Said cap member comprises a cylindrical body, a top opening of a regular polygonal brim and a bottom opening of a round brim, a female screw on the inside of the lower part of said body, and two confronting side openings and two confronting slots on said body. When the gas container is employed, said cap member need not be dismantled from the head of the gas container. Therefore, said cap member is a protecting part for the valve member of the gas container.

8 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEDMAR 14 1972 3, 648 8 85 SHEET 1 OF 2 Figl INVEN'I'OR. limo/m KITS am By 404m 1- ffhlw A CAP MEMBER FOR A HIGH-PRESSURE GAS CONTAINER This invention relates to improvements in a cap member for a high-pressure gas container so as to protect the valve member attached to the head of the gas container.

Heretofore, the conventional cap for a high-pressure gas container has been installed to the head of the gas container by screwing itself and by fastening the slitted bottom brim of the cap by a bolt. When the gas container is employed, the cap has to be dismantled from it. Such installing and dismantling are very troublesome handling. And the cap has been produced by wrought iron casting which is required to be a very elaborate process, therefore it is impossible to produce the cap at low cost. Besides, the cast cap is apt to be destroyed from rough handling of falling the bombe by accident.

One object of this invention is to overcome the above drawbacks and to provide a cap member for a high-pressure gas container which does not loosen when it is fixed to the head of the gas container it is screwed on.

Another object of this invention is to provide a cap member for the high-pressure gas container which may be inexpensively produced by squeezing steel plate so as to be durable against rough handling.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a cap member for a high-pressure gas container which need not be dismantled from the head of the gas container when parts are connected to the valve of the gas container.

Briefly stated, in accordance with one aspect of this invention, there is provided a cap member for a high-pressure gas container. Said cap member may be formed by squeezing steel plate and comprises a cylindrical body having an annular end portion provided with integral threads, a lateral opening and a circumferentially extending slot in said end portion carrying some of the internal threads and being deformed in a direction transversely of said slot. An elongated strip-shaped portion fonns part of said end portion and extends between said slot and said lateral opening. Said internal threads are provided on the inside of the end portion of said body so that it is adapted to the threaded part of the head of container, whereby said cap member is made to be installed on the container. Said confronting strip-shaped portion carries some of the integral threads and is deformed in a direction substantially transversely of said slot. When said end portion is threaded into an externally threaded part of a container, the external threads of such part come into mesh with internal threads of said strip-shaped portion and subject the latter to a deforming action to bring about a strong frictional engagement between the externally threaded part and said strip-shaped portion so that the cap can be held in a selected angular position.

This invention will be better understood and other objects and additional advantages of the invention will become apparent upon perusal of the following description taken in connection with the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a cap member embodying this invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view thereof;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view thereof;

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view thereof; and

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing an applied condition thereof.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the preferred embodiment of this invention will now be described as follows. A cap member 1 may be shaped by squeezing steel plate and not by wrought iron casting. Said cap member 1 comprises a cylindrical body having a requisite inside diameter, an annular end portion 2 which defines a bottom opening and top opening 3, a female screw 6, two confronting lateral or side openings 8 and 9 and two confronting circumferentially extending slots 10 and 10. A brim of said end portion 2 is roundly formed by bending the lower end of said body outwardly. The upper part of said body is squeezed to become gradually narrow with a requisite diameter and is made to bend inwardly at right angles, and said top openings 3 of a regular polygonal brim, particularly a hexagonal brim, is

formed. Said side openings 8 and 9 which have a comparatively large area are provided face to face on the body of said cap member 1 and are a passage through which connecting parts are introduced and connected to a valve member 7 which is attached to the gas container 4. A female screw 6 is provided on the inside of the lower part of the body beneath said side openings 8 and 9 so as to be adapted to a male screw 5 provided around the head of the gas container 4. Circumferentially extending slots 10 and 10 are provided face to face on the body of said cap member 1 at the suitable length beneath said side openings 8 and 9 along the brim of said end portion 2. Two confronting or strip-shaped portions 1 l and 11 existing between said side openings 8 and 9 and said slots 10 and 10 contain a part of said female screw 6 and are made to curve slightly downward or upward, therefore said strips 11 and 11 become a fastening portion having elasticity. At installing said cap member 1 on the gas container 4, the female screw 6 is made to partly adapt to the male screw 5 on the head of the gas container 4 and, next, said female screw 6 is made to tightly adapt to said male screw 5 by turning a spanner inserted in the hexagonal top openings 3 of said cap member 1. Therefore the curved strips 11 and 11 are made to straighten and thereby said cap member 1 is strongly fixed to the head of the gas container 4 by strain of said strips 11 and 11 and does not loosen from the head of the gas container 4. This invention need not provide a slit on the brim of the end portion 2 and affix a fastening bolt to the cap member 1. Therefore the structure of the cap member 1 becomes simple and the production becomes easy.

As described above, this invention is to produce the cap member by squeezing steel plate, therefore said cap member is strong and is not destroyed by shock as the cast goods. Also the squeezing process is more easy and more simple than that of wrought iron casting and is suitable to mass production.

While a particular embodiment of this invention has been illustrated and described, modifications thereof will readily occur to those skilled in the art. It should be understood therefore that the invention is not limited to the particular embodiment described but that the appended claims are intended to cover all modifications which do not depart from the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A cap for use on containers for storage is of pressurized fluids, comprising a substantially cylindrical body having an annular end portion provided with internal threads, a lateral opening adjacent to said end portion, an elongated circumferentially extending a slot in said end portion, and an elongated strip-shaped portion forming part of said end portion and extending between said lateral opening and said slot, said strip-shaped portion carrying some of said internal threads and being deformed in a direction substantially transversely of said slot, whereby'when said end portion is threaded onto an externally threaded part of a container, the external threads of such part come into meshwith internal threads of said stripshaped portion and subject the latter to a deforming action to bring about a strong frictional engagement between the externally threaded part and said strip-shaped portion so that the cap can be held in a selected angular position.

2. A cap as defined in claim 1, wherein said cylindrical body has two lateral openings on opposing sides which face each other, and two elongated circumferentially extending slots in said end portion on opposing sides which face each other, each slot being coextensive with one of said lateral openings, and two elongated strip-shaped portions forming part of said end portion, each strip-shaped portion extending between a corresponding lateral opening and slot.

3. A cap as defined in claim 1, wherein said container consists of one piece of metallic material.

4. A cap as defined in claim 1, wherein at least said annular end portion consists of a metallic material.

5. A cap as defined as claim 4, wherein said metallic material is spring steel.

6. A cap as defined in claim 1, further provided with engaging means at the end of the cylindrical body opposite to where the annular end portion is provided for being secured by a tool for rotating and tightening the cylindrical body to a container.

7. A cap as defined in claim 6, wherein said engaging means 5 comprising a polygonal opening in said opposite end.

8. A cap as defined in claim 7, wherein said polygonal opening is in the shape of a hexagon. 

1. A cap for use on containers for storage of pressurized fluids, comprising a substantially cylindrical body having an annular end portion provided with internal threads, a lateral opening adjacent to said end portion, an elongated circumferentially extending slot in said end portion, and an elongated strip-shaped portion forming part of said end portion and extending between said lateral opening and said slot, said strip-shaped portion carrying some of said internal threads and being deformed in a direction substantially transversely of said slot, whereby when said end portion is threaded onto an externally threaded part of a container, the external threads of such part come into mesh with internal threads of said stripshaped portion and subject the latter to a deforming action to bring about a strong frictional engagement between the externally threaded part and said strip-shaped portion so that the cap can be held in a selected angular position.
 2. A cap as defined in claim 1, wherein said cylindrical body has two lateral openings on opposing sides which face each other, and two elongated circumferentially extending slots in said end portion on opposing sides which face each other, each slot being coextensive with one of said lateral openings, and two elongated strip-shaped portions forming part of said end portion, each strip-shaped portion extending between a corresponding lateral opening and slot.
 3. A cap as defined in claim 1, wherein said container consists of one piece of metallic material.
 4. A cap as defined in claim 1, wherein at least said annular end portion consists of a metallic material.
 5. A cap as defined as claim 4, wherein said metallic material is spring steel.
 6. A cap as defined in claim 1, further provided with engaging means at the end of the cylindrical body opposite to where the annular end portion is provided for being secured by a tool for rotating and tightening the cylindrical body to a container.
 7. A cap as defined in claim 6, wherein said engaging means comprises a polygonal opening in said opposite end.
 8. A cap as defined in claim 7, wherein said polygonal opening is in the shape of a hexagon. 